


Safe

by Pearl_Unplanned



Series: Cap_Ironman Bingo 2016 (1) [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cap_Ironman Bingo, Getting Together, Hurt Tony, M/M, Misunderstandings, Stony Bingo, Wingfic, mentioned torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6134320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearl_Unplanned/pseuds/Pearl_Unplanned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone was born with wings. In fact, most people weren't.<br/>Tony did.<br/>Then Afghanistan happened. But that was years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Cap_Ironman Bingo prompt: Hug-and-Fly

 

            Not everyone was born with wings. In fact, most people weren't. There were stories about days when everyone used to have wings, and if you were the first in your family to be born with them, it was a huge blessing. If everyone in your family had them, and you didn't, then you might be shunned for it. Now, Tony wasn't shunned. It seemed to be the only thing that his father was proud of him for—he was actually born with wings, beautiful, russet colored ones with small white flecks on them.

            Anyone who'd been blessed with wings knew exactly what it meant to take care of your wings. Keeping them in the best condition, at all times, while always practicing with them and keeping them strong. Tony had always made sure that his wings were strong enough so that he could fly whenever he wanted to, because there were far too many people who had wings yet never used them.

            But then Afghanistan happened.

            "Thanks, Stark," Steve murmured, his arms wrapped tightly around Tony's armor. One of his wings was hanging at a weird angle, and Tony knew that it must've been broken in the attack. (He _did_ manage to keep a bus from being thrown into an office building, still full of people. How he only had a broken wing, Tony would never know.)

            The man had beautiful wings. Pure white, completely flawless, and always kept in perfection condition. It was hard not to stare sometimes, but in a way that made his heart ache. Tony had messed around with his own SHIELD file so that there were certain things about his life that he kept classified. He guessed that most people knew, but seeing that Steve hadn't ever met him until he became Iron Man...

            "No problem," he replied, one arm wrapped around the super-soldier to keep him from falling, the other used to keep the suit flying in the right direction. He wasn't used to carrying too many people all the time. "Let's get you back to the tower. Bruce will know how to wrap up that wing of yours."

            "It'll be fine," Steve said, though he did wince when he tried to move it. "The serum heals my bones a lot faster than normal. It should be fine in a few days, maximum."

            If only he'd been a super-soldier, too. Tony couldn't help but feel bitter about that, but he couldn't be mad at Steve. Again, he didn't know. And he'd never hurt Tony like that. "If you say so."

            The terrorists had figured that if he still had wings, he'd be able to escape. So they did the most logical thing that they could think of: They cut off his wings. No painkillers, just large, sharp knives. Lots of blood and feathers later, he had two huge wounds on his back, with scars now where beautiful wings once were. He'd almost died of an infection back in the caves, if it wasn't for Yinsen's help with both the arc reactor, and the wings. There were times when he wished that Yinsen had let him die. For someone with wings to have them cut off—that was the biggest shame that could ever happen to them.

            Now he didn't talk about wings anymore. The media stopped talking about it. No one mentioned wings to him. Ever. It was like he'd been born without them.

            And then Steve showed up.

            Tony had done his best to hate the man, to get Steve to hate him, and to just plain old avoid him when the first two didn't work. But yet, here he was, Captain America pressed tightly against his chest, their arms wrapped around one another, flying through the air. Anyone with wings knew that flying with someone proved to them just how much they cared. When Clint had been shot off one of the buildings, and Steve had dropped everything just to go catch him, Tony had known just how much the team meant to the super-soldier. Most people didn't understand the connection that _flying_ with someone had to the person with wings.

            Steve didn't know that by Tony flying him back over to the tower, that was him accepting just how much he'd never be able to hate Steve, accepting just how much he actually cared about the other man. And man, he cared too much. He didn't want to, he really didn't, but he couldn't deny it anymore—he really did have a major crush on Steve. Flying the man over to the tower was almost too hard for him to bear.

            "Something wrong, Iron Man?" Steve asked, breaking Tony out of his thoughts.

            "All's good, Cap," Tony replied, landing on the roof so that he could put his teammate down. "You better get that wing checked out. I'll go wrap things up with the team."

            He didn't look back as he shot off into the sky, as far from Steve as he could get.

 

            Steve watched Iron Man leave, biting his lip. He'd almost thought that Tony would stay, but he understood that things needed to be wrapped up with the team first.

            There was something about the way that Tony stared at his wings that made him uncomfortable. He didn't know why Tony seemed a bit resentful when he stared at Steve's wings. The blond knew that Howard had wings, and perhaps it might've been because he wished that he did, but that was the only reason that he could really come up with.

            While he guessed that Tony probably had no clue how he felt, he had found it hard not to say something when Tony had caught him. He wanted to say something along the lines of _I really like you_ or _can I take you out Friday night_ or anything remotely along those lines. But Tony seemed to be oblivious of his feelings, or he chose not to bring them up. Steve didn't want to mention anything, not when Tony's reaction might be to get away from him, and if he couldn't _fly_ at the moment... He didn't want the flight to the tower to be uncomfortable.

            Broken wings really hurt. Steve knew how long they usually took to heal without super-soldier serum, since he _had_ gotten hurt when he was a child, and when he was in the war. The only reason that he hadn't been able to save Bucky was because he'd had his wing broken. That's why Bucky had been protecting him when he'd fallen, because Steve had been too useless at the time.

            "Heard on the comms that your wing broke," Bruce said, approaching as Steve walked into the tower. He hadn't been needed at the battle because it was supposed to just be something small. Now it had been mostly contained, but Steve was glad that Bruce had stayed behind because he didn't trust SHIELD doctors with his wings. Most people didn't have wings nowadays, which Steve found a bit surprising because he hadn't been gone _that_ long. But people still knew how to care for them, especially doctors.

            "It'll be fine in a few days," Steve said, not liking the way that the feathers dragged across the ground as he walked. If anyone had tried to touch the wing, though, it would've been far too painful for him to really handle at the moment.

            "How'd you get back so quickly?" Bruce asked, heading over to the med bay. The moment Steve was able to, he draped his injured wing out across one of the cots, sitting in a chair he'd dragged over. Bruce's hands were surprisingly soft and gentle as he set the broken wing and wrapped it up, securing it so that Steve wouldn't be able to move it until it was done healing.

            "Tony brought me back," Steve said, flinching a little as Bruce tied it tightly. The wing was pressed up against his back, and for the first time since it had broken, it didn't feel that bad.

            "Really? I mean, I'd understand if he caught you, 'cause he'd never let a teammate fall, but..." Bruce mumbled, trailing off.

            "But what?" Steve prompted when Bruce stopped talking.

            "You don't know?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought everyone with wings knew the significance of flying with someone."

            "I do know that," Steve said quickly. Why did Bruce think he didn't know something like that? He was the one who had wings, not Bruce. Though, to be a doctor for someone who had wings, he had to know a lot about the anatomy and physiology, and usually the psychology, too.

            "Then... You should know how significant it is that Tony carried you all the way back here," Bruce said, looking just as confused as he had before. But it must've been worse when Steve mirrored his confusion. "You... don't know, about Tony, do you?"

            "Do I know _what_ about Tony?" Steve asked. What had happened to Tony? What was this important secret that he didn't know about his teammate?

            "In Afghanistan..." Bruce said slowly. "Steve, Tony used to have wings. And then he was tortured in Afghanistan."

            Steve wasn't quite sure what to say at that. Tony had wings? Tony _used_ to have wings? So whenever he had been staring at Steve's wings, whenever he had acted poorly and tried to get Steve to leave the room, or give him an excuse to leave the room, it had been because he'd _had wings_ and they'd been taken away from him, and now he was forced to see someone with wings each and every _day?_ Why had no one told him? Why wasn't it in his SHIELD file? Did no one think that it was an important enough subject for the leader of the team to know about?

            "Tony... had wings, before," Steve repeated, because it just didn't sound real. He'd never seen the man with wings before, so he had no reason to believe that Tony had ever had wings. He knew that he had an arc reactor that was keeping him alive, after some shrapnel had entered his heart, and it was the only thing that was keeping it out.

            "Yes," Bruce said. "In Afghanistan, they tortured him. To keep him from escaping, they cut off his wings. He came back a different man. Iron Man... Personally, I think was his way of being able to fly again, but it's not the same. I can see it in the look on his face, when he stares at the sky when he thinks no one's looking..."

            "No wonder he's always trying to avoid me," Steve mumbled, glancing over at his good wing. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to have wings one day, and then to never have them again. It would be like losing an irreplaceable limb. No one could replace a head, or a brain. But here Tony was, surviving each and every day without his wings.

            Steve found himself wondering about what they must've looked like, the colors and the pattern, along with how fine or coarse the feathers were. Had Tony liked other people touching his wings, if they knew how to properly, or did he flinch away from that? Personally, Steve didn't mind it. As long as they knew what they were doing, and they didn't randomly grab his wings, then he was fine with it.

            "Maybe I should leave the tower for a little bit? I've been so insensitive to him..." Steve mumbled, frowning. He couldn't imagine the stress or anguish he'd caused Tony just by being around him.

            "No, I think that would be the worst move. Tony... while I know he misses his wings, I think he'd really hate it if you left because of him," Bruce said. Normally he'd give all the Avengers medicine, but they still hadn't found something that would actually work on Steve yet. "That would just make him mad, Steve. And he'd miss you, a _lot_. Like I said, the significance, of him flying you back to the tower... I wouldn't forget that too easily, if I was you."

            "You think I'd have a chance with him?" Steve asked, eyes widening. But now he was worried that he'd be walking on eggshells around Tony, and that was the last thing that Tony would _ever_ want. Tony hated it when people did that.

            "I think you've got a real chance if he flew you back here. I'd talk with him about it some soon, okay?" Bruce said. "But until you do, make sure that you rest that wing! The team won't be happy to have you benched for too long."

            "No, and I'd rather be benched for as short as possible," Steve said.

            "Here I am, happy about not having to get mad enough to fight crime," Bruce chuckled.

 

            When Tony got back to the tower, Steve tried to keep him from going down to the lab, but somehow he managed to lock himself in the lab once more. He wasn't sure how every time he wanted to talk with Tony about something, somehow the genius managed to not only escape to the lab, but also lock the door. Now, Jarvis had given him permission to get into the lab without a passcode after Tony had been in the lab for two days without sleeping, or if he hadn't had anything to eat in eighteen hours. Since he'd just gotten there, there was no way that Steve would be able to drag him out of the lab yet.

            And the other issue, besides being locked out, was that he couldn't even wait at the door like he might sometimes, because whenever he injured his wings, he always felt _really_ tired because his body was trying to heal. So Steve headed to his bed, knowing that eventually Tony would _have_ to come up for coffee in the morning. He'd catch him then. Tony would have to listen to him if he brought some coffee in the morning, right?

            Morning came around faster than Steve thought possible. He was still exhausted as he dragged himself over to the kitchen and started up a pot of coffee. He wished that the caffeine could affect him, on mornings like these. Dragging himself over to the lab was even harder when he was carrying two mugs of coffee. If Tony had been working all night, then two cups might be able to get a bit of energy back into him.

            "Tony," Steve shouted from outside the lab, not able to knock with his hands full. "Tony the lab's still locked. Open up."

            There was a hint of red in Tony's eyes, and dark lines were starting to form under his eyes. Obviously, he'd spent the entire night working. He looked confused at first, as if he didn't know what time it was. But then Steve held out a cup of coffee to him, and he seemed to realize that it must've been morning.

            "Thanks, Cap," Tony said, and he looked so sleep-deprived when he smiled around the coffee mug. "Mmm... you always seem to make the best coffee."

            Steve took the opportunity, with Tony happy and high on caffeine, to walk into the lab before the genius could even think about stopping him. "So, what'cha working on?"

            "New upgrades to the armor," Tony mumbled, leading Steve over to where the suit was hung up.

            Steve still couldn't believe how amazing the armor was. Tony had to be the smartest person that he knew, Steve was sure of it. He couldn't even _dream_ about being that smart.

            "I'm trying to get it to be able to fly faster," Tony continued, going to take another drink of coffee before he seemed to realize that he'd downed the entire mug. Steve just chuckled and handed Tony the second mug, and his face lit up.

            "You spoil me," Tony said, grinning. And then Steve noticed the way that Tony's eyes wandered over to his wings again for a moment. "Feeling better?"

            "Yeah, just makes me tired," Steve said. "I, uh, wanted to say thank you... for flying me back here. You didn't have to, but I'm glad you did, because there's been something that I've wanted to ask you for a while now."

            Tony froze mid-sip and looked over at him with wide eyes, like a deer in the headlights. "Uh... what's on your mind, Cap?"

            "I was talking with Bruce, and he seemed to agree that now might be a good time to ask you," Steve said, gathering as much courage as he possibly could find. "Would you agree... to me taking you out Friday? Maybe, uh, dinner... and dancing?"

            It was old-fashioned, he knew, but there was still a chance that Tony would say yes. The genius visibly relaxed. "Oh, I thought you... Wait. Dinner? You and me?"

            "Yes," Steve said, clearing his throat. "Unless you'd rather not. I can leave now if I misread the situation."

            "No, no, I'm just still processing this," Tony said, taking another sip of coffee. "I feel like I'm still dreaming right now. This isn't a hallucination, right?"

            "Nope, this is real life," Steve chuckled nervously.

            "Good, then dinner and dancing it is," Tony said. "As long as you take it slow and don't crush my feet."

            "I'm not _that_ bad at dancing," Steve muttered, though he couldn't help but grin. He wanted nothing more than to hug Tony close, and wrap his good wing around the man, but... How would Tony react to that? The genius didn't seem to mind the hug at all, though he seemed a bit surprised that Steve _didn't_ wrap his good wing around him. What would it have felt like, to have Tony's wings wrapping around him, too?

            Tony looked at him strangely, like he'd been expecting Steve to wrap his non-injured wing around him. He looked... almost a little disappointed that he hadn't, but Steve wasn't completely sure about that or not. He wanted to talk with Tony about it some, to get some boundaries first. He didn't want to make the other man feel uncomfortable, not when he cared about him so much.

            "Well, I'm going to get back to updates then. Thanks for the coffee, you're a real life saver," Tony said, turning his attention back to the suit. Steve could see the smile on his face, though, and so he settled down on the couch that was in the lab, so that maybe he could get Tony talking. Whenever Tony talked about what he was working on, Steve would always see the way that he lit up with happy energy, and the super-soldier didn't want to see the smile disappear from Tony's face.

            As it turned out, Tony _did_ want to talk about his new upgrades, and Steve listened, smiling in silence.

 

            The date had gone wonderful. At least, Tony thought that it had been going great thus far. He was a bit surprised to find that yes, Steve did really like him, and yes, the super-soldier thought that dating him was a good idea. And while the dancing hadn't been the easiest thing—Steve wasn't a _terrible_ dancer, per se, but he was still pretty bad—it was still fun. Tony hadn't ever gone dancing as a date before, but it was definitely a good experience.

            And then Steve had mentioned it.

            Tony wasn't exactly sure _where_ Steve had heard about the fact that he used to have wings from. He'd made sure to wipe it out of his SHIELD file, and he paid off all the newspapers and gossip magazines long ago to never mention it again. He didn't want anyone who met him now to know about it unless they'd learned about it before, when he still had wings.

            "I'm sorry, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable," Steve said quickly, and he took a step backward. Both of those beautiful wings of his were healed, faster than Bruce had thought that they would, and Tony couldn't help but feel glad. He hated seeing _anyone's_ wings looking broken or damaged in any sort of way. Even though he didn't have his own wings, he'd still rather everyone else be happy.

            "No, it's not that. How'd you... how'd you know?" Tony asked quietly. He didn't want Steve to know. "Was that the only reason that you asked me out—because I flew you back to the tower?"

            "No! Heavens no, it's because I've been thinking about doing the same for quite a while now," Steve said. "But I didn't think you liked me because you kept staring at my wings strangely, so I thought that they just made you uncomfortable. When you dropped me off at the tower, Bruce told me that it was significant... you flying me back. And I didn't know what to say to that, not until he told me about the fact that before... you had wings."

            Tony nodded slowly. Things had gone from good to bad in seconds. "Yes," he said, because he _really_ didn't want to talk about the wings that he once had. They were never coming back, that was something that he was sure of. He admired Steve's wings, and he thought about his own wings far too often, but that didn't mean that those wings would ever come back.

            "I don't know if... you're uncomfortable with it, but I... I'd really like to go flying with you, Tony," Steve said quietly.

            He could hear his heart thudding in his chest. Flying with someone was important. To anyone with wings, this was the most important thing one could do to show off just how they felt. And he hadn't wanted to say anything to Steve, back before he knew about the wings—Tony knew exactly what he was indirectly telling the super-soldier. But now that Steve knew...

            He didn't know what to say. Everything inside him told Tony to say yes, because he _did_ want to go flying with Steve. He wanted to feel the wind against his face, and see the world in the way that one only could by flying. And he only trusted Steve with that. If anyone else had asked to take him flying, Tony would've said no. But when it came to Steve... Steve was the only one he could trust with his heart.

            "I'd understand it if you said no," Steve said quickly. "I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now, and this probably isn't something that you ever wanted to hear..." Steve glanced away. His wings fluttered nervously behind him, and Tony couldn't help but stare at those wings. It wasn't even envy anymore. They were just things of pure beauty.

            "Yes," Tony said quietly.

            Steve looked over at him, shocked. He looked like he'd truly expected him to say no. But Steve didn't know how long Tony had been dreaming for him to ask that question. Tony wasn't even sure if _he_ knew how long he'd been dreaming it.

            "I'd like that," Tony added, to get Steve out of his daze and back to the real world.

            Steve stepped forward, and placed his hands on Tony's waist. Tony leaned forward a little bit, relishing the feeling of Steve's soft feathers against his bare skin. It had been so long since he'd actually felt feathers, since he had tried avoiding anyone with wings for _so long_. Now he just wondered why he'd avoided Steve for so long. Why didn't he just tell Steve how he felt earlier? Maybe he could've already been cuddled up against Steve, feeling his warmth, feeling his love, a lot earlier than this.

            "I don't want to hurt you," Steve whispered, leaning down some.

            Tony leaned up to meet him, capturing the super-soldier's lips with his own. "You're not going to hurt me."

            And then Steve lifted Tony up into the air, hugging him close. Tony wrapped his arms around Steve's neck, pressing his face to Steve's shoulder as the blond took off into the air. Tony listened as the powerful wings pushed through the air, and he closed his eyes, feeling the wind against his body.

            For a second, he was scared. It was an unexplainable fear, one that kept his eyes closed and his face pressed to the flesh of his crush. Maybe he was worried that this wasn't real. Maybe he was worried that Steve didn't really like him, and they weren't really flying. Maybe he didn't trust Steve as much as he thought he did.

            "Open your eyes, Tony," Steve whispered, and he listened. Blinking his eyes open, he looked up into those beautiful blue eyes of Steve's, and all of his fear disappeared.

            A sense of wonder filled Tony to the brim as he looked around. The lights of the city were so alien to him, from up above, but also comforting, like an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

            He felt safe, hugged tightly to Steve's chest. He could feel the super-soldier's heart beating like it was his own, a thudding rhythm. If everything ended now, he'd be content. This moment with Steve was enough.

            "I missed this," Tony mumbled, leaning up to kiss Steve's jaw. "I'm so glad you're here... I really, really like you, Steve."

            "I like you too." And then they were spiraling across the sky, twisting and turning, pausing for weightless moments before accelerating and flying up to the calm, quiet part of the sky, where no other life dared to go. It was a little cold, but it was still safe.

            It had been so long since Tony had felt truly _safe_. Held in Steve's arms, with all of his trust in the super-soldier, far more trust than he'd ever given anyone before, he was safe. It almost felt like Steve had given him a new soul.


End file.
